"Biden says aid from US tied to Lebanon vote; Hezbollah calls trip an attempt to sway election" by Sam F. Ghattas, Associated Press | May 23, 2009
Yeah, but we don't meddle in people's elections.
BEIRUT - Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday that future US aid to Lebanon depends on the outcome of upcoming elections, a warning aimed at Iran-backed Hezbollah as it tries to oust the pro-Western faction that dominates government.
Translation: BETTER VOTE for the RIGHT PEOPLE in your 'democracy" -- OR ELSE!
Confident its alliance will win, Hezbollah criticized Biden's visit as a US attempt to influence the June 7 vote. It held a mass rally to show popular support.
I expect a RIGGING, don't you?
Biden is the highest-level US official to visit Lebanon in more than 25 years, and the attention shows American concern that the vote could shift power firmly into the hands of Hezbollah. US officials have said before that they would review aid to Lebanon depending on the composition of the next government, apparently meaning military aid....
With the election about two weeks away, Lebanon is in the throes of an increasingly abrasive campaign that has split voters into two main camps. One made up mainly of Sunnis favors close ties to America, France, and moderate Sunni Arab countries while the other is dominated by Shi'ites and backed by Iran and Syria.
Yup, sure, divisive, agenda-pushing, war-promoting Zionist MSM: Analyzing the AP
Biden said the United States did not want to interfere in the elections and tried to steer clear of the political divisions by meeting the neutral president, Sulieman, and Nabih Berri, the Hezbollah-allied Parliament speaker. But he signaled a tilt toward US allies when he met behind closed doors with leaders of Saniora's faction at a private residence. A similar meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the monthlong Hezbollah war with Israel in 2006 was broadcast on TV and drew months of sharp condemnation from Hezbollah....
Biden's visit caps a transformation in American policy toward Lebanon. It began four years ago after more than two decades of steering clear of the country, long viewed as a quagmire. Pro-Iranian militants targeted Americans with bombings and kidnappings in the 1980s during the civil war and more than 250 Americans were killed. That led to a 12-year ban on citizens traveling to the country. The ban was lifted in 1997.
But by stepping into the political fray, the United States risks deepening the rift between rival factions. If it does not win, an embittered Hezbollah could take a harder line against opponents.
Yeah, you shouldn't be "bitter" if you are cheated, Hezbollah!
While the vice president was still in Beirut, Hezbollah flexed its muscle by holding a mass rally in the southern city of Nabatiyeh to mark the 2000 departure of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
I'm sick of the subtle bias in the AmeriKan MSM, aren't you?
Tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters listened to leader Hassan Nasrallah's video address on a giant TV screen. He spoke from his hiding place.
Yeah, because ISRAEL is TRYING to KILL HIM!
